traditional and contemporary works using handcut paper

Finding Your Whole

Last December, I held a mandala-only workshop for the first time. These are the circular “gwiazdy” (star) style wycinanki, but I called it “mandala” because it seems to be a more familiar term. I learned that we needed about an hour more than I scheduled. I also learned that it is better to pick out your color combinations first to save time later. When I work on these myself, I rarely do it one sitting so this was a good learning experience for me.

Everyone worked on their background shapes and designs before cutting began, then I shared my technique for cutting, folding and working in layers. It just takes patience and practice. Then I shared my technique for adding colorful layered shapes in the right sizes.

The wonderful thing about this technique is no matter what your skill level, the final product always looks whole and complete and is a true reflection of the maker. Here are a few of the pieces completed in class. I look forward to doing this workshop again!

Finished work!

Detail view. Even our “flaws” make our work complete and interesting. These are stories of our lives at that point in time.